The relatively new netbook field has exploded as millions of consumers are discovering the benefits of the lighter weight - and ligher price - netbook. Because they lack some of the functions of a typical laptop, they are not an on-par trade; but because of the ultra-compact design, they are ideal for students, traveling business people, and others who can sarifice a few features in exchange for the benefits netbooks offer. Asus has emerged as one of the top netbook manufacturers in the industry, with their netbooks consistently topping "Best Of" lists. In 2010 alone, the innovative Asus has won 28 major awards for their top quality motherboards, graphics cards, and, of course, their netbooks. What does Asus have to offer you? We'll take a look at some of their top models to help you determine your answer.
What is a Netbook - and Where Does Asus Fit In? - Netbooks differ from notebooks in a few key ways - but you may find the trade-off for great portability and lower energy consumption to be ideal for your needs. Here are some major points to consider before purchasing:
*Netbooks usually have 7- to 10-inch displays, compared to laptop 14+ inch screens.
*Netbooks can run for 5 to 6 hours, as opposed to 2-3, or as much as 4, for laptops. This makes it great for travelers, as well as students who can't stop and recharge every other hour.
*Netbooks have lower hard drive speeds, processor speeds, and graphic memory capacities. If you want to work with any type of graphic-heavy text or video, a netbook will run much slower.
*Little keyboards. They're ok for little fingers.
*No CDs or DVDs.
*Wi-Fi connectivity, and increasing Bluetooth capability.
*You can browse the internet, work on documents, offload digital photos, and use the USB port for movies and music.
*Price. You will often see price as a major factor driving netbook sales. In reality, higher end netbooks can be as much as $700+, making them more expensive than lower-end laptops. But, these newer netbooks also offer increased functioning and options for the user.
Asus is consistently regarded as one of the best netbook manufacturers in the business; they have helped break the netbook out into the mainstream. If you look on sites with consumer reviews, like Amazon, you'll see that they rate positively across the board. They have a host of different models from which to choose so you can fulfill your function needs as well as your budgetary needs. Let's take a look at what you can do with an Asus. Browse the best selling ASUS netbooks here.
Best Asus Netbooks:
TopTenReviews (who does "the research so you don't have to") gave the Asus EEE PC 1005HA its Gold Award for Best Netbook of 2010, ranking it ahead of models from HP, Samsung, Toshiba, Dell, Acer, and even some other Asus computers. TopTenReviews called this the device that defines netbooks at this point in their evolution. High praise. So what does the EEE PC 1005HA have? It has a larger 10.1-inch display, 1.66GHz intel Atom N270 processor, 1GB RAM, 160GB hard drive, and an incredible battery life of up to 11 hours (depending on the particular model). We're looking specifically at the Eee PC 1005HA-VU1X-BK 10.1-Inch Black Netbook. Be careful when shopping because there are multiple models for each series, so a 1005HA-VU1X-BK is not quite the same as the 1005HA-PU17-BU. They are very similar, but newer models will have different features. The older VU1X-BK, for instance, runs XP and has an 8.5-hour battery life. It is a great budget model at just under $300. The PU17-BU, on the other hand, has a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 processor, operates the new Windows 7, and an extended battery life of up to 10.5 hours. It also adds Bluetooth into the mix. For this upgrade, you'll pay about $350 at Amazon or $400 at other retailers. TopTenReviews calls the 1005HA a "tiny, terrific computer," and this is true whether you get the older VU1X-BK, the PU17-BU, or the WXYZ. We made that last one up. Look here for the top rated ASUS netbooks.
Very similar in features and in price is the PC 1000HE, another top choice of TopTenReviews and of CNET, which said that Asus practically invented the netbook market. It also topped the list of Laptop Magazine's readers' favorite netbook poll. This little netbook has a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 processor, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, 10GB Eee storage, 10.1-inch LED backlit widescreen display, larger chicklet keyboard, XP, 1.3mp webcam, and 9.5 hours of battery life - which CNET called "stunning." You can find it for under $400 online.
The Asus Eee PC Seashell 1201N-PU17-BK is another great - and positively reviewed - netbook. In fact, LegitReviews says, "The ASUS Eee PC 1201N puts their Seashell netbooks on steroids by increasing size and performance across the board." (You can see other Seashells here). The 1201N has a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Dual Core N330 Processor (an upgrade from both the 1005HAs we mentioned), 250GB SATA hard drive, 500GB free web storage, NVidia ION Platform, Windows 7 Home Premium, 0.3mp webcam, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Of particular note is the Windows 7 Home Premium OS, which enables DVD play, among other things. One Amazon reviewer called the 1201N the "best netbook on the market." One drawback is that it doesn't do well with graphic and action-heavy video games because the NVidia Platform takes a chunk of the 2GB memory, making it a bit slow for these things. A non-gamer won't notice the difference, however. You can find the 1201N for under $500. You probably don't want to spend more than the $500 or so that the 1201N costs for a netbook, even a top quality, high-end one. That means that you have a host of excellent options below $500, and many of those are below $400. With an Asus netbook, you can have convenient connectivity, access to email and webcams, and some entertainment capacity. These little machines are ideal for travel, business, school, and anywhere you need portable data access. Leave that clunky old notebook at home and check out Asus netbooks.
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